Though InfoReady was originally created to support research development and funding related activities, institutions continue to utilize the system in unique ways for a variety of form and application processes. In a recent webinar, Rebecca Clifford (Administrative Assistant to the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs) and Dr. Brian Thomas (Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs) from Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) shared examples from Academic and Student Affairs. As Rebecca notes, “The creation of the General template two years ago has given us the ability to use the system for non-financial purposes.” These include faculty processes like outside employment notification and sabbatical leave requests, as well as travel documentation for study abroad trips. Below are their best practices for managing these in InfoReady Review™.
Faculty Processes
- Provide information upfront - Rebecca uploads all relevant files on the Details page of the competition: “I quickly realized when we started using this template that adding all of this information really cut down on the questions and confusion that faculty were having.”
- Ask for information you’ll need later on - For employment verifications, they collect the job title of the additional employment in the “Title” field of the form, which allows them to automatically add the title in notifications and in reports for stakeholders.
- Utilize automatic routing - SVSU has enabled the Department Driven Routing Steps feature on their site that sends an application through a predefined list of approvers, based on the applicant’s academic department. Rebecca reflected on how much time this set up saves: “The routing and approvals are completely obtained and managed by the InfoReady system, from the time the form is initiated until the final approval is received. I can check the progress of each form throughout the automated routing, but I’m not actively involved in that process [now].”
Travel & Study Abroad
- Verify viewing of relevant resources - The International Travel Registry and Safety Plan form SVSU created asks submitters to verify that they’ve read updated information from the State Department, acquired insurance, and agreed to the SVSU Travel Policy.
- Collect all travel-related documentation - Dr. Thomas emphasized, “One of the important functions that it [InfoReady] serves was a repository for information, in terms of having up-to-date passport information, flight itineraries, and ground itineraries.” If needed, an administrator can quickly access all information from one centralized place, whether working from the office or remotely.
- Don’t ask too early - Travel plans and specific locations may change often until the trip is solidified. SVSU requires the form 30 days before departure. Administrators can work with individuals to make updates to the information in InfoReady Review as needed.
